The best thing to do is avoid it completely; 21th Avenue; 47th Avenue; 53rd Avenue; and 60th Avenue all run from Northeast through Southeast with direct routes crossing over the Banfield Freeway.

City officials also warn that several big construction projects in Southeast neighborhoods this summer are going to make drivers' lives rough but they say collaboration among multiple city bureaus and public agencies is trying to minimize their impact.

Altogether, construction around streetscaping, public transit and sewer improvements are all hitting Southeast neighborhoods at the same time this summer.

TriMet, the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Bureau of Transportation are coordinating their construction schedules to try to avoid overlap in major road closures on north-south corridors, officials say.

"The City has received numerous complaints about speed and stop sign violations in the area," said Lt. Chris Davis of the Traffic Division. "The Portland Police Bureau encourages people travelling through the area to use major streets instead of side streets."